More detail on this person: Jack R. Watkins
was the second of seven children born to Paul and
Elma Watkins of Fruita, CO. Jack was raised in
Fruita, CO, and graduated from Fruita High School
in 1955.
He attended Mesa Junior College in Grand Junction
before enlisting into the US Army. Jack became a
medic and was stationed in Germany for four years;
there he met and married his wife, Leonore "Lore"
Umhofer, on May 22, 1959, in Guenzburg,
Germany. Jack and Lore were the proud parents of
four children, Harald P., Sylvia, Lori, and
Shirley.
Jack graduated from the Army Officer Candidate
School and received his commission as a first
lieutenant. He was then assigned as a recruiting
officer in Milwaukee, WI. Jack was accepted into
the Army helicopter flight school. Jack was a
survivor of 2 one-year tours of duty in Vietnam as
a helicopter pilot, earning six Purple Heart
medals and the Vietnam Medal of Valor. He was
later a helicopter flight instructor and a flight
safety inspector.
After retirement from the Army, Jack flew
helicopters for Petroleum Helicopters to off-shore
well sights in the Gulf of Mexico, flying out of
Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Upon retiring from this, he flew helicopters for
radio and television stations covering the
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, area.
When they really retired, he and Lore traveled
around the country, trying to find a place to set
roots. They finally ended up in Sierra Vista, AZ,
where he lost his battle with cancer twelve years
later.
Surviving Jack is his wife for 56 years, Lore;
son, Harald; daughters, Sylvia Moore (Marty), Lori
Francis, and Shirley Diaz (Tony); five grandsons;
five granddaughters; eight great-grandchildren;
sisters, Paula Kay (Irvin) Johnson and Linda
(Dean) Soderquist; brothers, Chuck (Carol), Jim
(Linda), and Harold (Kristi).
Jack was preceded in death by his grandparents,
James and Cordelia Watkins and James and Lilly
Nicholls; parents; and brother, Larry.
Sibling: Jack Roger Watkins (1937 - 2015),
Larry D Watkins (1952 - 1989) (Calculated
relationship)
Inscription: Major, US Army, Vietnam War.
Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and
Purple Heart.
Burial: Southern Arizona Veterans Memorial
Cemetery, Sierra Vista, Cochise County, Arizona,
USA Plot: Section 9I, Row 2, Site 2
Published in The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction,
CO) on Oct. 22, 2015:
This information was last updated 12/19/2012
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